


Fogpaw's Sound

by Minute0_0Moon



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Cats, Character Senses Vibrations, Conflict, Disability, Disabled Character, Friendly Side Characters, Hunting, Inspired by Warriors - Erin Hunter, Internal Conflict, Near Death Experiences, OC Clan (Warriors), Original Cat Clans (Warriors), Original Character(s), POV Character Partially Deaf, POV Female Character, POV Original Character, Partially Deaf, Partially Deaf Character, Saves Clan, Sign Language, StarClan (Warriors), battle training, thunder storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minute0_0Moon/pseuds/Minute0_0Moon
Summary: The thundering of a dangerous storm looms closer to a vulnerable clan. An apprentice named Fogpaw, born partially deaf, learns how to utilize her disability to her advantage and how she can help her clan the ways her clanmates can't.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Fogpaw's Sound

Golden rays of light casted through waving trees and illuminated the dense undergrowth. Fogpaw’s white paws sunk into the soggy ground, her long fur crusted with mud. The she-cat focused on the feeling in her paw’s as she padded along the forest floor. Vibrations became amplified under their step. Fogpaw paused and gazed up into the canopy. The sky began to darken with sundown creeping up on the forest. Overhead, the sight of darkening clouds making their way towards the territory caused dread to fill in her stomach. Her fur had just dried from the rain one night before. 

_ I should hurry _ , Fogpaw thought to herself. The apprentice quickened her pace, the thick undergrowth clawed against her fur as she trudged through. She opened her jaws, breathing in and tasting the air for prey.  _ Nothing! _ The white-furred apprentice nearly hissed. Fogpaw breathed out a hot puffas she moved her focus from the air to her paws. She slowly walked along the damp earth, making sure to plant her paws firmly on the ground with each step. After a heartbeat, a sudden vibration coursed through her paws. Fogpaw’s heart leaped as she looked to her flank. A squirrel had leapt onto the forest floor.  _ Foolish prey _ , Fogpaw smirked. The apprentice crouched down,  _ Light paw-steps… Light paw-steps _ . She repeated the words of her mentor to herself as she slowly stalked the squirrel. Fogpaw’s eyes widened excitedly as the squirrel came to be only a leap’s length away. She nestled the ground with her paws before leaping at the squirrel with her claws extended. Tufts of the squirrels fur caught between Fogpaw’s claws, but the prey leapt onto the bark of the closest oak tree. Determined, Fogpaw propelled herself onto the tree as well. Her muscles bunched and stretched as she chased the squirrel. Swiftly, it strayed along a branch of the tree. Fogpaw climbed onto the sturdy wood and grasped the squirrel with a paw. She dug her claws into the struggling prey and gave a quick nip to the back of its neck, killing the squirrel.

After picking the limp squirrel up in her jaws, Fogpaw gingerly clawed her way down the oak tree. She leapt off the last tail-length and landed softly on the ground. The white cat gazed through the thick green undergrowth for a spot to bury her prey. Her eyes settled on a small exposed patch of dirt. Quickly, she trotted over and dug into the ground with ease. In a short heartbeat, the squirrel was buried. 

Fogpaw froze when a plump brown mouse came into her view.  _ I can catch this, easy _ ! She anticipated. She dropped into a low crouch, making sure her tail was kept from sweeping the surrounding plants. Fogpaw lifted a limb but froze in almost an instant,  _ Mice are sensitive to vibrations. I need to be careful of my pawsteps _ . Fogpaw gingerly set her paw in front of her, eyes trained on the mouse. Once she was sure the rodent didn’t sense her, Fogpaw sharply moved another paw forward. The apprentice shrunk into herself when she felt the heaviness of her paw as it landed on the dirt. She let out a sigh when the mouse’s ears perked and scampered into the thick undergrowth.

Fogpaw’s eyes scanned the ground for any other signs of prey. Her tail drooped when no hint of life appeared.  _ Foxhearted mouse _ , Fogpaw nearly snickered,  _ Couldn’t it have just jumped into my paws? _ Before Fogpaw had any time to continue, a flame sepia-furred cat came into view. A purr nearly rumbled deep in Fogpaw’s throat as she recognized her mentor, Cherryspark. Both the she-cats greeted with a dip of their heads. The warrior’s tail swept towards her perked ears, instructing the apprentice to listen.

Fogpaw gave a brief nod before Cherryspark began to speak, “You did a great job catching that squirrel,” Fogpaw’s sense of pride from her mentor’s praise was short lived, in order to sort what Cherryspark was saying through the muffle and ‘head under water’ noise distortion, as Dustpaw used to help her describe the distortion before, she had to have an immense focus on the cat’s speech. It’s draining to sort through the distortion. “But you need to practice on having light footing-”

“I sense the prey with my feet! If I glide over the ground like you want me to, I won’t be able to feel the prey!” Fogpaw sharply retorted. The loudness of her voice seemed to startle something in a nearby bush. She couldn't help it, she needed to hear herself at least somewhat clearly as she spoke. It also didn’t help that when she spoke it sounded like there was a feather in her mouth.

Cherryspark’s gaze looked over Fogpaw’s shoulder, ears pricked as if she were listening to something. Fogpaw scowled,  _ sometimes it’s like she can hear all the way to the moon _ . The white cat perked her head up as Cherryspark’s unintelligible voice sounded in her ears. “-train with Wolfpaw and Dustpaw.” Fogpaw caught the last bit of Cherryspark’s sentence. But nevertheless she understood what she meant. With a dip of her head in acknowledgment, Fogpaw watched as Cherryspark padded past her towards the training grounds.

The apprentice turned on her heels and followed in Cherryspark’s pawsteps. She took a look over her shoulder where her squirrel was buried, making a mental note to return to pick up her prey later.

Two cats appeared in Fogpaw’s view. One being a thick furred and long-haired tom, whose white harlequin markings blended with the shaded fawn-colored fur. Wolfpaw turned his head to look at the approaching mentor and apprentice pair. His yellow fawn-rimmed eye and blue eye was striking to the she cat. Fogpaw recalled the first time she met him. They were both still in the nursery- though Wolfpaw older- compared to the other cats Fogpaw saw, the different colored eyes jarred to her as a kit. She thought it was the coolest thing. Though she couldn’t properly talk yet, she bugged Wolfpaw constantly by saying, “Eyes! Eyes!” . Fogpaw erupted with a purr at the memory. She blinked slowly at him while maintaining eye contact, a sign of affection from a distance.

The other cat was Wolfpaw’s mentor, Swiftstep. His messy short fur also had white harlequin markings among the black hair. Fogpaw’s eyes drifted to his legs which were covered in scars. His weary tale had been passed along to every new generation of kits, serving as a strong reminder why cats shouldn't run through thorn patches. The senior warrior dipped his head in greeting to them.

Fogpaw accelerated her pace towards Wolfpaw. Once caught up she matched his stride. Her ears perked immediately and attention given solely to him, “How was your patrol?” Fogpaw asked. Her blue eyes snapped from the mentors and back, somewhat self-conscious whether her louder voice wouldn’t interrupt their own conversation.

Wolfpaw’s face beamed with excitement, “It was awesome! Swiftstep scented a fox trail in the territory and told me to track it,” The trill that sounded from him caused Fogpaw giggle. “So, we found the fox, it was  _ really _ old. Like it had a grayed snout and everything. But even then the fox growled and snapped at Swiftstep, Gooseflight, and I.” Wolfpaw casted a devious look at Fogpaw, “And then…” The tom inched closer, “It leapt!”

Wolfpaw bunched his hind legs and tackled the she-cat with a chirrup. Fogpaw laughed as she fell to the ground. The two apprentices playfully tousled and tumbled along the green undergrowth. Easily, the she-cat hooked her hind legs under Wolfpaw’s underbelly and threw him off. She rolled to her paws and watched Wolfpaw rise then shake out his fur.

Cherryspark merely shook her head at the apprentices, but Swiftstep opened his jaws for a lecture. With his mouth moving, Fogpaw took a heartbeat to filter his voice. “Just stop acting like kits! Pretend your mother is always watching.” The warrior grumbled, Fogpaw obviously having caught the last of what he was going to say. She glanced at their surroundings, through the trees she knew the river was near. The thundering of the water would make it nearly impossible to understand the others.

The group of cats began to walk once more, but in silence from Swiftstep’s snap.

Vine-like plants tugged at Fogpaw’s legs as she padded into the training area. The dirt of the small clearing went solid underneath her paws due to generations of use. She looked over her shoulder, the river, usually calm, was gushing with water that pooled on the edges of the bank. The young cat watched as Cherryspark and Swiftstep spoke to one another. Their mouths moved but the noise of the river was too overpowering and their voices blended together.

_ Why do we even have to train here? _ Fogpaw grumbled to herself,  _ Every cat knows that it’s impossible for me to hear from this mouse-brained river! _ The river was a pain in the tail to Fogpaw. For generations her clan trained by the river, which is why they haven’t moved, but surely it would be easier for her to learn if she could actually understand and somewhat hear the mentors. With the river constantly rumbling underneath her paws, she did get better at feeling the miniscule changes in the ground that previously blended together in her paws.

Vibrations drummed into Fogpaw’s pads.  _ Dustpaw! _ The she-cat radiated with excitement as she recognized the pattern of her friend’s pawsteps. The reverberation abruptly disappeared. Fogpaw swiftly rolled to the side and watched a pelt of cream-colored fur dive past where she previously stood.

Dustpaw bounced back to her paws and turned towards her fellow apprentice. Fogpaw’s eyes flicked from Dustpaw’s blue irises to her mouth, hoping to get a hint of what the other apprentice was trying to tell her. The white cat’s mouth hung open slightly, unable to respond. Unease crawled through her fur when the she-cat waited for her to say something.

In a moment’s notice Dustpaw recognized the lost look and switched to use signals instead. The she-cat brought her paws together on the ground, emulating catching a piece of prey.

Fogpaw watched Dustpaw’s signals closely, and responded with a nod then swishing her front paw back and curling her tail over her spine, telling the other cat she caught a squirrel. Fogpaw bashfully glanced away when she felt Dustpaw purr. She knew the other cat was proud of her. Dustpaw’s attention snapped from the she-cat.

Fogpaw’s whiskers twitched as she looked to where Dustpaw’s attentiveness was, unsure why she suddenly turned away. Her eyes settled on the mentors, who had just started battle training. Fogpaw took a look around the clearing to find an area where she could get a clear view of the session. She moved to a decent spot and took a seat. The cat’s blue eyes gazed on every minute detail.

Cherryspark stiffened her rear legs and raised her back end with her spine sloped downwards. Her tail was rigidly held low to the ground. She directly stared at her opponent, Swiftstep, and her ears held upright and rotated slightly forwards. Fogpaw knew the standard offensive stance all too well.

Swiftstep held himself low to the ground in a crouch. His head was tucked in close to his body and his tail was tucked in between his hind legs. The black and white cat’s ears were flattened sideways. He braced for Cherryspark’s move in a defensive position.

Cherryspark dashed towards Swiftstep. Once the short-haired cat was about two and a half whiskers away from running into Swiftstep, she leapt into the air. The tom reacted by raising his front paws to catch her underbelly, but Cherryspark jumped too high. She landed directly behind Swiftstep and before he could react she spun and leapt onto his back. In half a heartbeat, Cherryspark grabbed onto his shoulders and locked them against the ground. With her opponent unable to move, Cherryspark gave an example of an attack by churning her sheathed hind paws against Swiftstep’s spine.

Cherryspark detached herself from Swiftstep and looked at Fogpaw, flicking her tail towards the other side of the clearing. Fogpaw nodded in understanding and took her place a reasonable distance from her opponent, Wolfpaw.

Fogpaw crouched into a defensive position, shifting her paws so she could be more stable if a cat were to run into her. She looked at Wolfpaw, who had also taken a defensive position.  _ What are you doing fuzzbrain? _ Fogpaw nearly snorted. She hardened her stare on the long-haired tom, waiting for him to make a move. After a few heartbeats, restlessness settled in the white cat’s paws. Unable to wait any longer, Fogpaw raced across the clearing.  _ About five whiskers… three-- _ Fogpaw pushed herself into the air, leaping over Wolfpaw’s long body. She landed hard behind him. Her fur raised on end as vibrations rapidly approached her flank. Unable to react in time, Fogpaw was knocked to the ground.

The breath caught in the back of her throat as Wolfpaw’s weight was fully rested on her upper back. With a sudden burst of strength Fogpaw rolled onto her back, effectively knocking Wolfpaw off. The fawn-colored tom’s paws sent a vibration to Fogpaw only a tail-length away. She hastily regained a defensive stance only for Wolfpaw to suddenly lunge at her. Pain seared through Fogpaw’s ear, one of Wolfpaw’s claws having nicked the tip. With a hiss she turned to Wolfpaw who had landed behind her. The other apprentice’s face was filled with dread. Fogpaw took the sympathy of her enemy to her advantage and pounced on Wolfpaw’s back and instantaneously shoved his shoulders into the dirt.

Fogpaw stepped off her friend’s back when she felt his muscles relax under her paws. She glanced at the mentors and Dustpaw. Their tails waved and silent yowls of encouragement directed towards Fogpaw. Bashfully, she dipped her head and took a seat where Dustpaw previously sat, the she-cat now taking an offensive fighting stance across the clearing from Wolfpaw. Fogpaw cautiously swiped a paw over her ear and relief flooded through her chest when only a small speck of blood appeared. Turning her attention back to the training battle, Wolfpaw had won in only a few short heartbeats.

Cherryspark flicked her tail towards Fogpaw, signaling to her that it was time to leave. The white she-cat stood on her paws and followed the group of cats out of the training area. As the cats drew further and further away from the thundering river, Fogpaw felt satisfied as the ear-shattering noise of the river ceased.

“I can’t believe you got beaten by a deaf cat!” Fogpaw’s ears swiveled towards Dustpaw’s cackling.

Fogpaw’s tail drooped at the comment.  _ Do they really think this way about me? _ She questioned,  _ Does she mean that in a bad way? Do they say this stuff about me when I’m not around-- _ As quickly as those thoughts started, Fogpaw stopped them with a shake of her head.  _ Dustpaw’s laughing-- and I know these cats, they’re my friends and they don’t mean anything by it _ .

Fogpaw snickered and shot the others a friendly look, “Hey, what’s so wrong about that, slowpaws?” She spoke loud enough to hear herself clearly.

Wolfpaw purred at the snarky comment and nudged Fogpaw playfully, “Dustpaw’s only mad because I beat her.” He glanced up at the dark sky before returning his attention to his friends, “Even so,  _ you _ beat  _ me _ . Technically that means you’d have beat Dustpaw too.”

“No fair! You don’t know that!” Dustpaw huffed.

Fogpaw’s attention was immediately grabbed by a bright flash of light in the sky.  _ What in StarClan? _ She questioned, mind reeling with what the flash could’ve been from. In the next heartbeat, a loud rumble flooded through Fogpaw’s ears,  _ Maybe that’s thunder _ … A few droplets of water fell in front of Fogpaw’s eyes.  _ Yeah, definitely thunder,  _ She scrunched her nose when the rain picked up rapidly and fell on her face. The drum of the rain drowned out all other sound that may have had a chance at being heard.

Swiftstep flicked his tail over his shoulder, signaling the others to follow him back to camp. Panic swelled inside of Fogpaw when she remembered her squirrel. With a sharp yowl to grab Cherryspark’s attention, Fogpaw messily signaled “squirrel” and pummeled the ground with her paws to signal “bury”. Cherryspark gave a swift nod to her apprentice and pointed with her tail towards the direction of the squirrel.

Fogpaw instantly took off in a sprint. Luckily, the squirrel wasn’t that far from the training grounds. Racing through the undergrowth was like Fogpaw had one eye in front of her and one eye on the vibrations that coursed through her paws. She nimbly skimmed over the top of a fallen log, the location having been burned into her mind. Overhead Fogpaw recognized the tree where she caught the squirrel. The disturbed dirt in the small clearing would be easy to spot, but difficult to see through the heavy undergrowth. Though by retracing her steps Fogpaw located and dug up her prey in just a few heartbeats.

An odd rumble by the trees coursed through Fogpaw’s paws. Her eyes shot to the soil next to the trees, fur prickling from the unknown. Wind blasted her fur and the rain fell even heavier than the night before.  _ I need to get back to camp _ , Fogpaw thought to herself and wasted no time in picking up her squirrel and racing back to her clan.

Brambles dragged at Fogpaw’s flank as she entered through the tunnel. Just as the tunnel dipped into the earth, Fogpaw entered her clans camp. The clearing was large and surrounded by brambles and thorns. A cliff overhung the camp, blocking out the rain. At the top of the overhang was a dead tree loosely rooted into the rocks. A decently sized fresh-kill pile lay in the center of the clearing. Along the cliff wall lay shallowly dug-out caves which the clan claimed as their dens. A ledge allowed cats to reach the dens higher up the wall. Though along the bottom were the elders den, medicine cat cen, and the nursery. The leader’s den was the highest on the wall. Due to the shelter the cliff overhang gave, cats went on as if the rain wasn’t even there.

Dustpaw eagerly approached Fogpaw and greeted the other she-cat by dipping her head. With a purr, Fogpaw briefly nodded to the sleek-furred apprentice. She turned towards the fresh-kill pile and placed down her wet-furred squirrel onto the other pieces of prey. Her whiskers twitched in annoyance. Her piece of prey was the only wet one in the entire pile. The other squirrels, mice, and frogs were all dry. Well- except the slime from the frogs but it wasn’t from any rain water. With a sigh, Fogpaw turned back towards her friend.

“Would you like to go chase the frogs?-- Tomorrow, obviously,” Fogpaw meowed loudly. Her eyes gleamed as she watched Dustpaw’s face perk excitedly.

Disappointment bellowed in Fogpaw’s stomach as Dustpaw’s voice didn’t unravel in her ears. Luckily, the other apprentice anticipated this and nodded to Fogpaw.

_ Yes! _ Fogpaw happily thought to herself,  _ Hopefully we’ll have time to stay out for a while. I’d love to watch the sunrise with her… _ Familiar vibrations of lifted paws rumbled underneath Fogpaw’s paw pads. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as Wolfpaw’s pelt brushed past her whiskers.

Fogpaw’s wet fur felt heavy against her skin. She shook out her pelt in an attempt to quicken the drying while her eyes wandered to the sky. It was darkened with the storm clouds, though a faint orange glow appeared from sundown. Fogpaw glanced back to her friends. Wolfpaw flicked his tail towards the apprentice’s den in the cliffside, and gently brushed his cheek against Dustpaw’s cheek in a friendly manner.

_ He’s going to his nest already?  _ Fogpaw questioned as Wolfpaw dipped his head towards her and proceeded to stalk off towards their den. She looked around the camp, noticing the same with the others.  _ Deerstride and her kits are already in the nursery. Willowdawn’s already in her nest and so is Rapidstar. _ Fogpaw bounced back from her thoughts as Dustpaw’s sweet scent filled her nose and the cream-colored she-cat brushed her cheek against Fogpaw’s, saying goodnight to the other cat. Fogpaw watched as Dustpaw padded towards the den with Wolfpaw.

_ I should get some rest, it’ll be good to get an early sleep _ . In a moment's notice Fogpaw rose to her paws and swiftly caught up with her friends. Warmth filled her chest as Dustpaw looked back and gave Fogpaw a pleased purr.

Fogpaw pushed herself up the cliffside ledge after Dustpaw and Wolfpaw. She kept towards the wall and slipped into the warm apprentice’s den.  _ Hopefully Wolfpaw doesn’t snore so loud this time, I don’t want Dustpaw to complain to me again _ , Fogpaw snickered. She stepped into her mossy nest right by the entrance and laid down into the soft feathers. As quickly as the rain came, Fogpaw drifted off to sleep.

A violent rumble shook the ground underneath the apprentice’s paws. Fogpaw jolted from her sleep, raising her head to look out of the den. Twigs and leaves littered the clearing, illuminated by the moonlight. The sky was completely dark with no sign of Silverpelt through the thick clouds. The sound of rain and wind ringed through Fogpaw’s ears, both noises drowning out one another and blending together. Her fur spiked anxiously at the deafening noise. Wearily, Fogpaw rose from her nest, shaking her fur to get rid of a few strands of moss that clung to her, and padded out of the apprentice’s den. The white-furred cat paced in the clearing below the cliff to stretch her legs. Her fur was blasted with wind and the soar rang in her ears.

Another boom coursed through Fogpaw’s feet accompanied by a bright flash of lightning. Harsh cracking crinkled into Fogpaw’s pads. Her head raised to its source, the tree at the tip of the overhang. Small pebbles and rubble sprinkled onto her head. Fogpaw’s eyes widened and a yowl roared from her throat.

Her head shot towards Rapidstar, the brown-furred tabby raced out from his den. His wordless mouth moved, though Fogpaw knew what he was asking. “The- the cliff is falling!” She shouted, over pronouncing her words so her lisp didn’t hinder her words unintelligible.

Rapidstar’s hazel eyes looked to the cliffside. His fur bristled sharply as he saw a large crack in the rocks. The leader hollered and yowled to wake his clan. Cinderpatch raced to Rapidstar’s side. Within a heartbeat the deputy was dashing in and out of all the dens, waking every cat in the clan.

Cats rushed into the bramble tunnel as if it were a stampede. Fogpaw’s legs rooted themselves to the ground, out of the corner of her eye a fawn spotted tabby struggled with three small cats huddled underneath her legs. Fogpaw raced over to the queen, Deerstride. She hastily grabbed Newtkit by the scruff and Deerstride scooped up Bramblekit. Noticing the struggle, Rapidstar dashed to the queen and apprentice. He gave Deerstride a brief nod before he grabbed Runningkit.

Without wasting another moment, Fogpaw raced through the bramble tunnel. All cats huddled close once they were safe away from the cliffside. Fogpaw’s eyes hurriedly scanned through the crowd- after Deerstride and Rapidstar rushed past her- and counted for every cat. Fogpaw gently placed Newtkit next to his mother, who was overjoyed that all three of her kits were safe.

The wind picked up, rushing through Fogpaw’s long fur. The sky lit up again and a long vibration seared into her paws. Fogpaw’s head shot towards the camp. She watched in awe as the cliff crashed down. The cliff broke into multiple pieces as it fell and a gust of air blasted through Fogpaw’s fur. As the pieces rained down onto the camp, an enormous but muffled crash blared into Fogpaw’s ears. The large shards from the cliff caused the ground to tremor. The earth quaked and vibrated strongly into her paws. Fogpaw held her breath from the overwhelming rumble.  _ Oh StarClan… _ She remained speechless. She never felt that intense of a vibration before, the ‘loudest’ being the river after a large storm or a crack of lightning in the distance.

Dread filled Fogpaw’s belly as she turned to her leader, the realization of the ruined camp settling on her. Rapidstar’s face portrayed the same emotion, his whiskers drooped as if everything he ever knew was ruined- to which it was. He turned towards his clan, addressing them over the rain that had lifted slightly. Fogpaw’s ears and eyes were trained on Rapidstar’s mouth, not daring to miss a word of what he says.

“We all made it out safely. Thank StarClan,” Rapidstar spoke in a quivering yowl. He turned towards Fogpaw. The leader flicked his ear before continuing, “If Fogpaw hadn’t warned the clan, we all may not have survived. For that, Fogpaw, I thank you.” He lowered his head deeply to the apprentice.

Fogpaw’s chest swelled with pride. She looked from the wreckage to her clan,  _ I can’t- I really  _ did _ do that _ . The apprentice was speechless, unable to fathom how she saved her clan. Her eyes gazed at the surrounding cats, knowing that without her none of them would be here.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm so happy to have finished this! I really wanted to put my own spin on a partially deaf cat in the Warriors world, so I did! I would love to have anyone's feedback :)


End file.
